1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of formation testing over time during or after drilling and in particular to the concurrent or sequential attainment of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) data or resistivity data during formation testing for measuring the saturation of the formation over time to determine the relative permeability for a hydrocarbon bearing formation.
2. Summary of the Related Art
To obtain hydrocarbons such as oil and gas, boreholes are drilled by rotating a drill bit attached at a drill string end. A large proportion of the current drilling activity involves directional drilling, i.e., drilling deviated and horizontal boreholes to increase the hydrocarbon production and/or to withdraw additional hydrocarbons from the earth's formations. Modem directional drilling systems generally employ a drill string having a bottomhole assembly (BHA) and a drill bit at an end thereof that is rotated by a drill motor (mud motor) and/or by rotating the drill string. A number of downhole devices placed in close proximity to the drill bit measure certain downhole operating parameters associated with the drill string. Such devices typically include sensors for measuring downhole temperature and pressure, azimuth and inclination measuring devices and a resistivity-measuring device to determine the presence of hydrocarbons and water. Additional down-hole instruments, known as logging-while-drilling (LWD) tools, are frequently attached to the drill string to determine the formation geology and formation fluid conditions during the drilling operations.
Drilling fluid (commonly known as the “mud” or “drilling mud”) is pumped into the drill pipe to rotate the drill motor, provide lubrication to various members of the drill string including the drill bit and to remove cuttings produced by the drill bit. The drill pipe is rotated by a prime mover, such as a motor, to facilitate directional drilling and to drill vertical boreholes. The drill bit is typically coupled to a bearing assembly having a drive shaft, which in turn rotates the drill bit attached thereto. Radial and axial bearings in the bearing assembly provide support to the radial and axial forces of the drill bit.
Boreholes are usually drilled along predetermined paths and the drilling of a typical borehole proceeds through various formations. The drilling operator typically controls the surface-controlled drilling parameters, such as the weight on bit, drilling fluid flow through the drill pipe, the drill string rotational speed and the density and viscosity of the drilling fluid to optimize the drilling operations. The downhole operating conditions continually change and the operator must react to such changes and adjust the surface-controlled parameters to optimize the drilling operations. For drilling a borehole in a virgin region, the operator typically has seismic survey plots which provide a macro picture of the subsurface formations and a pre-planned borehole path. For drilling multiple boreholes in the same formation, the operator also has information about the previously drilled boreholes in the same formation.
Typically, the information provided to the operator during drilling includes borehole pressure and temperature and drilling parameters, such as Weight-On-Bit (WOB), rotational speed of the drill bit and/or the drill string, and the drilling fluid flow rate. In some cases, the drilling operator also is provided selected information about the bottom hole assembly condition (parameters), such as torque, mud motor differential pressure, bit bounce and whirl etc.
Downhole sensor data are typically processed downhole to some extent and telemetered uphole by sending a signal through the drill string, or by mud-pulse telemetry which is transmitting pressure pulses through the circulating drilling fluid. Although mud-pulse telemetry is more commonly used, such a system is capable of transmitting only a few (1–4) bits of information per second. Due to such a low transmission rate, the trend in the industry has been to attempt to process greater amounts of data downhole and transmit selected computed results or “answers” uphole for use by the driller for controlling the drilling operations.
Commercial development of hydrocarbon fields requires significant amounts of capital. Before field development begins, operators desire to have as much data as possible in order to evaluate the reservoir for commercial viability. Despite the advances in data acquisition during drilling using the MWD systems, it is often necessary to conduct further testing of the hydrocarbon reservoirs in order to obtain additional data. Therefore, after the well has been drilled, the hydrocarbon zones are often tested with other test equipment.
One type of post-drilling test involves producing fluid from the reservoir, shutting-in the well, collecting samples with a probe or dual packers, reducing pressure in a test volume and allowing the pressure to build-up to a static level. This sequence may be repeated several times at several different depths or point within a single reservoir and/or at several different reservoirs within a given borehole. One of the important aspects of the data collected during such a test is the pressure build-up information gathered after drawing the pressure down. From these data, information can be derived as to permeability, and size of the reservoir. Further, actual samples of the reservoir fluid must be obtained, and these samples must be tested to gather Pressure-Volume-Temperature and fluid properties such as density, viscosity and composition.
A more recent system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,803,186 to Berger et al (the '186 patent). The '186 patent provides a MWD system that includes use of pressure and resistivity sensors with the MWD system, to allow for real time data transmission of those measurements. The '186 device allows obtaining static pressures, pressure build-ups, and pressure draw-downs with the work string, such as a drill string, in place. Also, computation of permeability and other reservoir parameters based on the pressure measurements can be accomplished without pulling the drill string.
The system described in the '186 patent decreases the time required to take a test when compared to using a wireline. However, the '186 patent does not provide an apparatus for improved efficiency when wireline applications are desirable. A pressure gradient test is one such test wherein multiple pressure tests are taken as a wireline conveys a test apparatus downward through a borehole. The purpose of the test is to determine fluid density in-situ and the interface or contact points between gas, oil and water when these fluids are present in a single reservoir. Another apparatus and method for measuring formation pressure is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,233,866 issued to Robert Desbrandes.
Various means of estimating permeability from Darcy's law have been proposed for formation testing are well known in the art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,303,775 by Michaels describes a Reservoir Characterization Instrument that enables an operator to determine formation properties from formation testing measurements of pressure, volume and temperature made in situ down hole in the well bore. It is well known that absolute formation permeability and fluid mobility determinations can be derived from pressure, volume and temperature and viscosity measurements. Permeability is useful in determining potential productivity of a formation adjacent a well bore. It is also known that downhole NMR tools also enable an operator to determine formation parameters of interest, including permeability from in situ NMR measurements. Generally, these methods do not distinguish between absolute, effective and relative permeability.
These known methods for determining the surrounding formation permeability do not, however, take into account the saturation level of the surrounding formation or determining the relative permeability for the formation. The absolute permeability represents the permeability for a fluid with only a single fluid in the formation. Since most formations contain more than one fluid, it is more pertinent to determine the permeability of a fluid in the presence of another fluid at a given saturation level, i.e., the relative permeability. It is the relative permeability that determines the actual productivity of a formation surrounding a well. Thus, there is a need for a method and apparatus for determining the saturation level of the surrounding formation and the relative permeability for the surrounding formation.